Riddle me this
by illgiveyouablackeye
Summary: “You cant change me,” Riddle told me with a cold stare and I gave him a stale look. “Can I not butter my toast without one of your dramatic outbursts?” Rhonwen can’t shake Riddle off her tail or out of her life. Typical teenage life couldnt be farther.
1. Chapter 1: Fickle

Chapter One: Of Fickle Time Traveling and A nondeveloped sociopahic brat

Being rebirthed after saving a group of toddlers from being shot was alarming.

Realizing what world she was rebirthed in was shocking.

Noticing the year was terrifying.

Having been dropped off at one familiar 'Wool's Orphanage' was frightening.

Being roomed with the future raging lunatic that would cause two wars was nothing in short but _distressing_ and Rhonwen Graveline was nothing short of teary eyed as she tried to sleep next to the body that could probably turn around and choke her with her own pillow if he was as intelligent as she thought.

To her luck, she thought bitterly to herself about the nonexistent concept (because Rhonwen highly doubted that she even had such a thing like luck if she was sent back so far and to another world), as soon as the matron put the 8 month little girl down and left the room, Tom Riddle rolled over and stared at her with such an intense look that she couldn't help but find herself studying his eyes. They were dark brown and reminds her of a dark chocolate. It was rather ironic because like dark chocolate, Tom Riddle was a bitter little shit and many people disliked the taste. Rather than feeling at ease, Rhonwen felt as if she were walking the line. One wrong move, one flutter of an eyelash and this 8 month (or however old he was) baby would try to decapitate her small little soul during her sleep.

This went on for a few minutes, with him studying her appearance and her studying him as well before he blew some air from his lips (landing in her face as she scrunched it unwillingly) and went to sleep once more.

Rhonwen swallowed the spittle in her mouth and clenched tight the sheet in her hand because holy fuck did Tom Riddle just accept her into his little baby pack and if he did than what the fuck was her rank because she was damn well not an omega.

She contemplated this concept once more before feeling her eyes droop heavily, finally succumbing to sleep. Her thoughts could dedicate themselves to Tom Riddles baby gang later, when she was energized and well fed.

The next morning, however, she was absolutely sure Tom Riddle did not like her as he went so far as to shove her up against the crib wall with his feet and hog the blankets. Somehow, the little girl had stayed asleep during the whole thing but she felt her irritation level rise as she glared evilly at the stoic baby in front of her with a certain amount of smugness.

It was SO on.


	2. Chapter 2: Baby Pack or No?

Rhonwen's first two month at the orphanage was-in short terms-uneventful besides the fact that she was pretty sure Riddle had started a little rivalry in his head between them as soon as he saw her stand up with help of the crib. The boy, copying her movements, succeeded in doing the same and the challenging look that shouldn't have even been possible (because what kind of kid already knew what competition was, Rhonwen thought to herself uncomfortably as she cemented the fact that Tom Riddle was a little fucking devil into her brain) on his face was there. The matron, who's name she found out was Alice, had gasped when she entered the room and had given them both a smile of encouragement as well as congratulations as she picked them up (Riddle first, that little bastard) and placed them outside the crib onto the carpet that surrounded them in stuffed animals and toys that looked worn but still usable.

For being so weathered down and shabby, this Orphanage still had some life left. She wondered to herself briefly on why Tom had been so unhappy here before remembering that this was only her third week.

They stayed at different ends of the carpet, only glancing at each other once or twice before playing with their respected toys, Rhonwen's toy being the large stuffed bunny that was almost bigger than her and Riddle's being the toy train. 1920 toys weren't as developed as they were in the future obviously and Rhonwen felt herself wish immensely for a talking Elmo or play laptop because no matter how childish those toys were, this stuffed bunny was boring. Still, trying to make thr best of the situation, Rhonwen laid her head on the bunny's shoulders and played with its stuffed paw, pretending that she was slow dancing with it because she'd be damned if she never got that slow dance that Kenny Halesap had promised her. Who cares if it was with a bunny? It still counted.

This time was different than their usually play time however because Riddle had rolled his particularly heavy metal train at the small little girls leg and as soon as it made contact with her knee she yelped. The young dark lord was already a little sadistic fuck. The train tipped over as it rammed itself into the chubby leg and she stared turned to stare distastefully at the stoic brat on the other side.

Taking the light plastic ball that lay next to her, she tossed the ball at his head, watching it make contact with his forehead as he did a double take before he slowly turned back to meet her gleaming eye. If Riddle wanted to play hard ball, Rhonwen would play hardball. Mentally, she took note that the hardball wouldnt be particularly very hard but the thought still counted.

Hugging the bunny closer, she inspected his face and watched as he teared up before feeling that stupid heavy feeling settle in her stomach. Shit. It hadnt actually occured to her that Riddle was still a baby. He hadnt developed his totally diabolical planning skills yet and does this make her a bully? With a hesitant look, Rhonwen pushed the train back towards Riddle watched as his face lost the sad pout and turned back once more into a concentrated study. Once again he turned back to his toy but she felt as if she passed a rite of passage. Tom Riddle was scary.

Okay...

She guessed the universal "Don't snitch" was respected here as well.

This caused her to believe that maybe, just maybe Riddle wasn't so bad. maybe he tolerated her now enough to reinstate her into his little baby gang.

Then she woke up in the middle of the night _freezing_ and realized that Riddle was a little bastard and he'd never like her. She kicked him in the leg before returning back to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Foreshadow

By the time they could stand, the two antisocial little tykes had been introduced to multiple other children, some being older and others younger. Some were approximately the same age as them like Billy Stubbs or Dennis Bishop. Riddle nor Rhonwen liked either of the two very much and preferred to keep their distance. Martha, a helper, had taken to placing them all in the same room so she could watch them all at once although the middle aged woman was fairing very badly at it. If Rhonwen didn't have a sense of kindness in her body, she'd have assumed that Martha would be as lousy at anything else as she was at this. But due to her reasonableness and the fact that she cared to analyze, Rhonwen knew that it was the cause of exhaustion.

More often than not the woman would fall asleep and ignore the children and Rhonwen supposed it wasn't really her fault that Ms. Cole was overworking her. She had heard the babies cry (damn her sensitive hearing) and Martha would always be the one to calm them down, helping them sort themselves out so they wouldn't create such a fuss. Not once did any of the other helpers give aid so it was up to poor Martha to tend to the children night and day (which most certainly was not an easy job). This left her constantly yawning and pinching herself to stay awake.

Today, she assumed the same position as always during playtime, trying to stay alert but slowly accidentally rocking herself to sleep. Rhonwen stared at the woman with a frown. She looked incredibly tired with her worn out clothes. The dark bags under her eyes seemed to stand out even more. Unconsciously, Rhonwen began to teeter up to stand, trying to move towards the woman and she damaged to stumble a few steps before knocking into the chubby Billy Stubbs who seemed to have the same temper as Riddle.

He picked up his block and hit her with it, mumbling something garbled as he did so, causing her to cry out as she felt tears spring to her eyes once more. What a little fucking dick, she rubbed at her arm wondering if it would bruise and kicked the boy irritably, sniffling in what would have been a cute way if she hasn't been giving him the evil eye and had scrunched up her face.

"Ah!" Billy was even more so of a brat than she was and he kicked her back harder, making her tumble over and run her back onto the block. It wasn't hard enough to draw blood but it still hurt. Especially considering she was still a tyke and it didnt help that bruising easily seemed to follow her into whatever life she ended up in.

Rhonwen teared up once more, starting to sniffle louder as she tried to find something to throw before she felt Riddle, who she hadn't even realized was so close to her spot, snatch at her arm and tug her small body towards him. He basically dragged her to him like one would do to a ragdoll.

In doing so, he managed to make her feel even worse by giving her a version of barely existant but she swore it was real rug burn. Taking his metal train once more, Riddle glanced at it and sent it flying off for Billy's foot, watching in great pleasure as it hit its target _hard_. Rhonwen felt a chill fly down her back as she watched Billy yelp loudly and begin to cry at the pain and she tried to shove down the absolute pleasure she felt at watching him. Rhonwen wouldnt deny that she had a little sadistic streak at certain times in her life. It was only reasonable. Rhonwen eyed Riddle wearily and he did the same to her before she wobbled up once more, grabbed the bunny by its ear, and flopped it into his lap before plopping herself down close to him. She had basically taken claim to the slowly aging plush toy and to let him touch it was a big step.

Truce?

Riddle studied the bunny and her cautious expression before he picked up and felt at it too. The plush fur seemed to enrapture him and she watched as his mouth widened into an O, finding the sight adorable looking and slightly disturbing because this was supposed to be the future Lord Voldemort damn it and she highly doubted that evil doers would want to follow a dark lord who marveled over the plushness of a stuffed animal.

Riddle, who probably had no idea of what was going on in her head, was still very enticed with the toy and she tugged at its arm before watching him pull the thing away from her. Her legs, which had been underneath one of the stuffed limbs, suddenly felt cold and a sense of anger ran through her.

Rhonwen felt her gaze narrow. Riddle's dark gaze settled on to her as well.

This little fucking shit.

She had offered her bunny up for only a minute and that was it. They all had their own respected toys. Had this little fuck never heard of the status quo?

Rhonwen snatched at the Bunny, trying to tug it away from him only for Riddle to come with it. She huffed irritably. Of course the one time she tried to be nice to riddle he would try to take advantage of it. Rhonwen glanced up at the ceiling in utter disbelief. Whatever God thought it would be a good idea to put her here had a sick sense of humor.


	4. Chapter 4: Rhonwen is dying basically

It was a dreary spring day with a slight chill in the air in London, England. Mondays had never felt more mondayish and the population of London seemed to have disappeared off the earth. As of this moment, almost nobody seemed to be doing anything productive. Not the businessmen who were at their desks, half awake and signing contracts, nor the mothers who tiredly dusted the dens and napped with their newborns, and _definitely not the children who remained in school._ In one school particular, near a run down orphange, sat Blemingham Reception and Primary.

"You did it wrong," Riddle told Rhonwen quite snobbily as he pointed at her maths sheet. As if on cue, drop of water fell on to her sheet to the exact place where Riddle pointed, blurring her work slightly. She blinked before grimacing. Her stomach did another twist and she exhaled slowly, trying to distract herself from the aching cramp. The rain outside was causing slight leaks into the classroom and there were a few buckets strategically placed to catch them however somehow a few drops fell astray. Many of the kids were struggling to remain awake due to the calming presence of rain and the teachers had given up at this point in trying to keep their attention. In the back of the classroom, a table in the back sat with only two of four chairs being used, held respectively by our favorite duo.

With a blink, Rhonwen turned to stare at him boredly before putting another random number down on her mathematics sheet, an abnormally long pencil in her hand. She sent him a dry smile before yet again scribbling more nonsense. As the small girl did so, she heard a painful sigh be released from next to her. In turn, Rhonwen felt slightly satisfied.

Mrs. Jibney was up at the front, her back turned as she explained addition and it's importance in life, totally oblivious to Riddle's pestering about her work. The numbers were almost illegible at this point however the petite girl just didn't care. She just wanted to do _something._ For only being in primary for a month, Rhonwen was teetering on the edge of dropping out. Addition was unequivocally easy and whilst lazing around was a wonderful past time, she didn't think she could take it anymore. From the corner of her eye, she saw Riddle staring daggers into her paper. His pencil rested in his hands, slowly inching towards her paper. Her first thought had been _maybe_ he was thinking of stabbing her with it (something she wouldn't put past a future dark lord). Another thought had been maybe he was just trying to change her answers. Of the two, Rhonwen pondered with a suspicious glance to the boy, she felt the former was more likely. On the contrary, ignoring the fact that she might be stabbed by another 5 year old, Rhonwen could _feel_ Riddle's agitation building up and though unfortunate to say, she was gaining a mighty sense of pleasure from it.

A small smile came to her face. It must have been complete _hell_ for him to know all the right answers and see her horrible filing. Tom Riddle was starting as a perfectionist very young, Rhonwhen thought to herself. Deciding to make sure she was right, she erased one answer and put an even more wrong one down. His pencil shook again before it stopped. He went back to his work quietly. Rhonwhen quirked an eyebrow before shrugging.

* * *

He was infuriated. His stomach was doing flips and there was a terrible feeling in his gut. He didn't understand. Earlier this morning, he had had plenty of oatmeal to eat and some water. It was a good breakfast. His sleep schedule was okay. Tom couldn't comprehend a single reason of _WHY_ he felt so sick. Absolutely nobody in the orphanage had come down with anything lately and Tom himself had an amazing immune system. The pencil in his hand was simply there. It was no longer moving and he cringed as he heard Rhonwhen scratch down another wrong answer. His stomach tossed again. If she continued to go through out school like this, she'd get held back while he and the others would move forward - all for her sheer _laziness!_ His stomach twisted once. A swirl of anger racked through him.

 _She was so dumb! Didn't she understand that she'd be held back?_

He sighed through his nose and breathed deeply. After a moment, he continued writing. It wasn't his fault if she was kept back with the other kids. It's not like he cared anyway.

That feeling in his stomach, however, didn't go away.

* * *

When school let out, it was crisp and windy and many of the 5 year olds were refusing to walk out into the cold. A lot of them still remained hazy and exhausted, somewhat swaying in their spot, from the hours long nap they had taken earlier. Jenny, their leader for the next 10 minutes to walk home, was somewhat irritable and Rhonwhen could tell that she was getting ready to snap. She was a petite 8 year old girl but her temper resembled a controlling 40 year old burly man. Whenever Jenny became angry, her face grew quite red and splotchy and her hands began twitching. Ms. Cole, knowing of this, had found her perfect for the job of leader. No way would anyone of the children step out of line. Especially due to the fact that Jenny was a tattle tale. Not only would said rebellion get them screamed at and jostled but they'd also be in the kitchen and scrubbing the wooden hallway floors for a month. Ms. Cole's judgements were either hit or misses. This, in her opinion, was a hit.

"C'mon!" Jenny snarled. Rhonwhen sighed as she leaned against the wall in her jacket. She shivered from the frosty wind that blew against them, wishing that everybody was a lot smarter. Tom, who sat next to her, tried to remain straight but failed as he began shivering miserably with her. The day was only growing colder as autumn was beginning. She watched as the blonde girl began walking away from the children that wouldn't cooperate, shouting of how she hoped that they knew their way back.It was a risky tactic but also a smart one because it was a fact that they all pretty much had abandonment issues. Jenny really knew how to play her cards right. Within moments the whole class that had been left behind scrambled to follow.

As Riddle and Rhonwhen began to waddle their way home, she belt a burning sensation in her stomach once more. It went from her abdomen to her chest and such and for a moment, she dropped gasping for air. It couldnt have lasted for more than a minute but the girl was still rather shaky. Riddle had tried to grab her, however, obviously a 5 year old wouldnt be quick enough.

Jenny, who was at the front and still marching on ahead didnt notice and continued on her trek, oblivious all that was happening behind her. It took a moment but Rhonwhen got up and continued on, albeit shaky.

Riddle, who had been frozen, awoke from his surprised stupor. He blinked and awkward went to touch her shoulder before pulling back out of uncomfortability.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He questioned her with unexpected concern. And she shrugged.

"I dont know. M-must've tripped on some ice or somethin'," She told him uncomfortably.

Riddle gave her an indiscernible look before pulling her ahead with him, a hand clenched on the sleeve of her thing sweater.


	5. Chapter 5: Intertwined with Tyrant

Tom's overbearing analysis over Rhonwhen's overall wellfare was to the point of ridicule. He was snarky when it came to any bad decisions she _might_ make and absolutely relentess with taking his eyes off her. Even when he wasn't looking at her, he was. His fixiation on the small girl was starting to grow annoying and Martha, unfortunately, had taken note of it as well. The matron had been quite concerned with the great concentration Tom put upon the other child. Due to this, Rhonwen's moving into another room with Suzy Helen was accelerated from a month to two weeks. She almost wanted to throttle the boy, Rhonwen thought sourly. It's _his_ fault she's stuck in this room.

It's not that Suzy Helen was terrible. In fact, she was very polite. Rhonwen probably couldn't have gotten a better roommate. The other girl was a petite brunette with small eyes and thick brows. Her nose was a little crooked but Suzy was quite nice all the same. The room wasn't terrible either. The only problem was it wasn't what she was _used_ to. If there was anything anyone knew about Rhonwen, it was her hatred of the unknown. Being thrust into situations where she had absolutely no control whatsoever seemed to fall under this category very nicely. If it wasn't bad enough that she was tossed into a whole other world, now she was tossed into a whole other room?

Being tossed into new environments without any of her say seemed to be the new norm and Rhonwen certainly wasn't for it. She missed the independence that she used to take granted. It was as if all her rights were stripped away. Then again, she _was_ just moved out of the room of a soon-to-be murderer. Biting her lip, Rhonwen began fixing her sheets upon her bed once more, straightening out even the smallest of creases. She _should_ be happy. Ecstatic even! But Tom was what she had grown accustomed to and they had already placed themselves into a little bubble with one another. How on earth could they just pop it all of the sudden when the two had already floated too far away?

"You've fluffed that pillow 7 times," a small feminine voice said and Rhonwen looked over her shoulder at Suzy with surprise, a small glance sent towards her own hands at the over fluffed somewhat off white pillow she held in her hands.

"You're right," the girl mused before placing it neatly on her bed. Suzy got off her bed and made her way over, helping fix the raggedy duvet that the orphange provided.

"You've only ever hung out with that pale Tom boy. I was going to ask you to play with us but Billy had threatened to give me an indian burn," She talked smilingly and Rhonwen didn't know what to do except shift on her feet, uncomfortable. What was she supposed to say? "That's fine, I really dont want to be around you guys anyway?" " I don't hang out with bullies?" It was odd that Suzy somehow even found herself affiliated with Billy as they were almost like complete opposites.

"Er, that's alright," Rhonwen replied, trying her hardest to remain as amiable as possible. After all, Suzy had never done anything terrible to Rhonwen and she doubted that the girl would start now considering how their sleeping quarters were adjusted. It seemed either Suzy was done with the conversation after that or she just really didn't know what to say. By the end of the night, neither had spoken to each other besides the greeting from when they got back to dinner. Tom had walked her straight to the door, eyeing her new room with excessive distaste without uttering a single word to her and quite rightly left in the same manor. She rolled her eyes. Tom _was_ always one for dramatics.

Although, Rhonwen hummed as she tucked herself in, she too had a flair for theatrics. Her bed was the same, as was the cover, and as was the pillow. The only problem was the other occupant. The room felt much colder and thick. Rhonwen tossed and turned drowsily, always dozing but never fully hitting into dreamland. So the biggest change from this she experienced was a slight divet in her REM cycle. She closed her eyes again. She'd live.

Tom didn't handle her absence from their room as well as she did, however, If the way the workers around the orphanage were acting gave her any indication. They tiptoed around his room and avoided contact in general with him. The chores she used to force him to do were even more half assed then before hand and the kitchen staff were very fearful of placing their hands near any food to put on his plate lest they get burned or frostbite. The kids seemed to notice as well. It was immature, but Rhonwen took slight pleasure in his displesure over their new rooming arrangements. It _was_ Tom's fault for being too pushy and overbearing. So with every time he walked past her room, she made an effort to look at him accusingly. Around the third week is when it got a bit ridiculous. Suzy Helen had just come in from the snow, her hands bleeding and she was sniffing sadly. The second hand coat that she wore had specks of dirt on it and Rhonwen looked her over before giving a questioning glance.

"I-I-It wa-was t-Tom," she sobbed into her arm. Rhonwen cringed slightly at the snot that was coming down her nose and tried to remind herself that this was just a little girl and to forgo her normal germophobic self. "I-I was talki-talking abo-about you bein' a good ro-roomie and he got m-m-mad and pu-pushed me!!" She sobbed even louder and she pursed her lips annoyedly. It took a whole 20 minutes to console Suzy Helen, as well as a promise of her dessert to the upset girl, but she stopped crying. If she could, she would've stayed in bed all day but Tom would only get worse if she let him continue on. He never really did know when to call it quits, Rhonwen thought to herself sourly as she heaved her body up from the bed, wincing at the slight pain in her abdomen. Making sure that she was appropriate, she left the room swiftly. Her target was where he usually was, sitting in the corner of his room on top of his neatly made bed with a book in his hands and she wouldn't have thought any more of it if she hadn't noticed how white his knuckles were.

"This is ridiculous," The petite girl told him, sourly. Her hands placed themselves at her small hips and he gave her a look. It was full of a hurt anger and the tension she once carried so boldly and unapologetically slipped away. "We see each other, still, Tom," Rhonwen said softly, trying to calm him.

"I dont care," The jet black haired young fellow said crossly. "I'm tired of the patrons always controlling our what, where's and when!" He snapped his book shut tightly and Rhonwen winced at the loud sound. Ignoring his slight tantrum, she sat on his bed, flopping down to look at the stars on the ceiling. Her brain still couldn't make sense of how it was her to be sent here with _him_ and she wondered if she was just a part of his life, their interactions only intersecting for a brief moment before continuing on and for a moment, Rhonwen felt sad. She knew just as well as he did that their seperation would bother her just as much as him. But if that were the Universe's plan, than what could she do? Suddenly, these cracked walls and squeaky wooden floors didn't seem so terrible any more and Rhonwen felt her heart drop again.

"Tom, someday we might not be around eachother anymore," Rhonwen told him softly, staring at the ceiling as her stomach gurgled uncomfortably. She blinked away the tears that grew in her eyes as the reminder of Tom's time at Hogwarts flashed in her head. Rhonwen knew she wasn't magical and thus she couldn't follow Tom to his next step.

"It makes me sad," she thought aloud briefly, swallowing so as not to cry more. How silly of her. They'd only been together for a short ampunt of time but she was getting worked up. Rhonwen sat up, breathing through her nose, before giving him a look.

"I appreciate you a lot." She looked at him sincerely. "Sometimes you're a huge arse. You'll grow into an even bigger one as we get older and I'm okay with that." She tried her best to explain to him that she liked his friendship, no matter how toxic it would turn out to be in the future when he decided he wanted to kill everyone of her race including her. For a moment, Rhonwen paused. Had she really become attached to a psychotic obsessive future-tryant?

A dip in the bed brought her attention back to his annoyed face as he smacked her on the head with the pillow she left behind. The cross look was there once more but this time it was filled with determination and something soft.

"I wont let them separate us. You give up too easily."

And she cringed at herself.

She guess she had.


	6. Chapter 6: I’m the biggest joke

Time seemed to go past quite quickly and Rhonwhen didn't know what to make of it. She always knew that time was fickle but the thought of losing her friend - a dangerous one but still her friend all the same - made her sick to her stomach. Tom seemed to notice her growing sadness, which was infuriating because it was always something she had been hiding rather well and it only worsened his clinging. He seemed to grown angrier and angrier through the years and the young girl found that she couldn't blame him. Dealing with such stupidity that the other orphans exhibited took a toll on her as well so Mr. Prodigy definitely took a harder hit. In school and back at the orphange he had shown himself to be exceptional so to see others be so beneath him must have really grated at his tolerance.

The pain in her abdomen only worsened over time and Rhonwhen was quite unsure whether it was her menstrual beginning or if she was actually dying. Maybe it was just gastroenteritis. Either way, the world was cruel with whatever outcome it was. Subsequently, her pain tolerance went up which Rhonwen _supposed_ could be a plus if you looked at it from upside down and squinted. Ms. Cole was very adamant that Rhonwen was making things up whenever the younger girl had brought the topic to light but she knew that the old bat just didn't want to spend any money on her. Much of the money meant for them rather went to the womans growing alcohol addiction (something so cliche she almost wished Tom would curse the woman for unoriginality). Rhonwen knew this specifically as she had been able to peek into the woman's office when Billy Stubbs and his goons were raiding it for candies. The following walloping Martha had so generously delivered them had been worth the infuriating discovery however. Martha believed her wholeheartedly, but still the patron was unable to do anything so it did her no good except for when she wanted to skip school (Tom was even fouler to deal with on those days) or even just trips to the beach that they were so often forced to go on during the summer. Tom, who so badly hated those visits as well, never stooped that low. He did, however, continuously sabotage any plans Rhonwen had of hurting her chances of going.

A mention of her sickness to one of the patrons, and Tom would be chatting away talking of how he had just seen her do a particularly strenuous task only moments ago. Doing something considered forbidden just so she could be banned was outright forgotten with one smooth talking from her dark eyed friend. These incidences led Rhonwen to the belief that Tom refused to suffer alone and in a way she was right. Her sick days from school were usually joined by the pale handsome lad (being around such imbeciles and no one with sense, he told her once, drove him barmy), as were her nurses visits (she was _much_ too daft to remember to reiterate all that was going wrong with her) and even chores. Sometimes, Rhonwen missed when Martha would force him to work elsewhere but that generally ended up more trouble than it was worth. His social skills found new lows when placed in a setting with the other kids.

It's not as if Rhonwen disliked the boy. His company was absolutely appreciated but the snark that came with it, Rhonwen thought wryly to herself as she scrubbed at a another dirty pan, she could most definitely live without. School was ending within the next week so the act of staying back was almost always met with ulterior motives. Mrs. Cole was adamant about making sure that Rhonwen knew if she continued to 'play hooky' that she'd always have something to do. It was unfortunate for the older woman that Rhonwen had little to no standards. If she had to spend a few hours on a step stool behind a sink with her hands constantly scrubbing dishes, who was she to complain? The warm water relaxed her and she enjoyed the domesticness of the activity enough that doing it a day or two every week certainly never bothered her. It was certainly better than listening to the others learn multiplication and the structure of the english language. Tom seemed to disagree but Rhonwen knew that he was just being a hardass. There was no doubt Tom already understood everything they talked of. He was able to fly through their makeup work more than quickly enough. If she had to guess, Tom's reluctance to miss school stemmed from his damn superiority complex and love for showing off. From behind her, she could hear Tom drying the clean dishes and putting them away and Rhonwen snorted. Yes, Tom definitely liked to show off. It was comical when Rhonwen thought about it. She was almost the exact _opposite._ She'd much rather be left alone then be held to such high expectations and pestered.

"Is this the last one," Tom's voice sounded through the air, cutting through each and every one of her thoughts with ease. He was looking at her boredly, rag still in his hands. Rhonwen glanced at him, and then the now dry pan in her hand. Had she really been so lost in thought that time had flown by?

"Uh, Yeah," Rhonwen nodded, jumping down from the wooden potato crate. Tom moved to the side, watching unamused as she landed almost right in the exact spot he had been. He gave her a dry look only to be given a careless shrug in return.

"If you're done," He began, reaching his hand out for the pan. Rhonwen looked up at his slightly taller form, already able to tell that he was annoyed with not being able to attend primary. The lowered lids of his eyes were always a tell tale sign and she only made his mood worsen, delivering a highfive to his outstretched hand instead of the desired piece of culinary.

"I can do it myself," She told him, watching in slight pleasure as his face tinged red in growing irritation. Pissing off a possibly future dark lord was certainly a dumb move, but his attitude was grating on her last nerve. It wasn't as if she _forced_ him to stay back with her. Rhonwen was a bit reckless and oblivious but the girl knew at least the bare minimum of self care.

"Must you antagonize me?" He questioned her. Annoyance was clearly laced through his words and a small part of her felt victorious. The girl didnt even have to turn around to see the slightly furious look on his face, instead focusing on her task of reaching the hook on which the pan belonged.

" _Must_ you treat me as if im invalid," Rhonwen shot back, accidentally allowing the slowly growing frustration loose through her tone. She felt a bit surprised at herself. "I don't need a babysitter every time I stay home, Tom."

"You can barely reach that hook and your perception of time is scurred." His hand was outstretched once more, tone blunt, mouth downturned. He wasn't going to humor her today and she was already pushing a good amount of buttons.

"I'm _more_ than capable of making sure I'm okay," she told him, pushing the pan higher so he couldnt get to it. From an outside view, Rhonwen was sure it looked like a game of keepaway. From her view, she just wanted to place the stupid pan back in its spot without being treated like a toddler. What little independence she _did_ have Tom was taking away from her. He probably didn't mean to, but his constant hovering was demeaning and only further encouraged Billy Stubbs lovely little joke of him being her very own personal guard dog. Not only was he accidentally encouraging Billy's bullying, but he was also insinuating that he basically thought she was useless - a thought that always haunted her time to time.

"Rhonwen," Tom pressed once more, irritability slowly growing on his face. He caught hold of the pan and yanked it lightly, trying to pull it from her grasp without dragging along the attached being. In doing so he only infuriated the girl even more.

"You won't even use your full strength! Do you think I'm that incapable?" Rhonwhen snapped angrily and she didn't know where all this frustration came from. Sure, she definitely understood the growing annoyance of his clinging but it definitely hadn't reached to this point where she genuinely felt so negative that it _showed._ Sarcasm and Boredom were her usual go to's. Anger had just never really fit into the equation as Rhonwen could never find a logical reason for it being there. It never solved anything and it definitely never helped. Tom's brow twitched at her words and constant tugging and it got to the point where he snapped.

"Just _give it to me!_ " He gave a hard grab and in doing so, pushed the girl to the floor. Rhonwen felt the pain in her stomach once more, heard a glass shatter, and felt the stinging of her nose all before she even touched the wooden boards that made up the flooring of the kitchen. Her knees and palms ached slightly, stomach twisting but slightly less than usual. The room was completely silent except for the sniffling that Rhonwen tried to keep quiet. The tears were already beginning to fill her eyes and she couldn't help but let a few fall as her chest began to hurt. Why was she so angry?

"W-Why didn't you just give me the stupid pan," She heard Tom's voice break frustratedly as he dropped the pan on the island before kneeling down next to her awkwardly. She felt his hand slightly touch her shoulder as well as the reluctance of letting it rest there. "I didnt _mean to, you_ shouldn't have been pulling," He started again uncomfortably and Rhonwen could feel the everything all at once in her chest. She shifted so that her bum was planted on the floor rather than her scraped knees and palms. The knowledge of how helpless her face looked didnt help her any and she felt another tear slip down as she began crying. It felt _good_ to release it all but wrong at the same time. Tom was never supposed to see her like this. Never supposed to see her sad, or angry, or anything. The one time he had, it was barely anything so humiliating. The cool facade she had accidentally built up throughout the years was most definitely broken and Rhonwen felt even more angry. She could just feel his distate with her pitiful state. Tom was many things but weak never fit into the category. Rhonwen was nothing but weak and she knew that he'd toss her out as soon as he found this out.

"I'm not a _doll!"_ Rhonwen sniffed angrily, swiping at her eyes in such a rough motion that she could see stars. "I hate it here! I hate being sick! I hate being told what to do! I hate the fact that they can tell us what to do! I hate going to school and learning things I already know! I hate Billy Stubbs and his stupid friends and I hate Ms. Jibney and Ms. Javelon and Mr. Hockney! I hate the fact that I don't know what comes next! Everyone acts like I don't understand anything and they just make decisions for me! I dont want to be controlled! I'm not a doll!" She felt more tears slip down and altogether just began ignoring Tom's presence. He would go off soon enough, leave her just like that, and she didn't _care_ anymore. Rhonwen wanted to be left alone and that was that! At this point in time, she just wanted to sleep and maybe not wake up for another 10 years. The pain in her abdomen intensified and she hunched forward slightly, hands placed protectively over it. Her face was cringed in pain and her eyes felt sore from letting so many tears fall. _Of course_ she would feel her worst right now. Not only was she having a mental breakdown at the age of 9 but she was also having a knife twisted throughout her gut. Her existence was nothing but a _joke_ to the universe and whoever put in her such a position. Not only was she a muggle (something Tom would despise in the very near future) but she was also an orphan with no chance in life. There was nothing special about her and she hated it down to her very core. Her life was nothing but entertainment for whoever or whatever put her in this life.

"You need to calm down," Tom brought her back down to earth and she glanced at him in annoyance through her blurry vision. He looked as nonchalant as ever and it only burned her more.

"Very helpful," Rhonwen thanked him sarcastically. Tom didn't look in the slightest surprised at her attitude, choosing to roll his eyes rather than snap back. "Suddenly I'm all better."

"Stop being petty and just breathe, you imbecile," He calmly talked and she found herself stunned about the fact that it didn't irritate her as much as it would have 10 minutes ago. She sniffed, pride feeling slightly hurt, but as she calmed down her pain levels went lower as well. Another swipe at her eyes caught any leftover tears and Rhonwen found that the heavy weight in her she had been carrying felt a lot lighter. Getting up was a task that took both of them, and walking the stairs to her room took even more effort. Tom was silent the whole way as he shifted her weight onto his and Rhonwen felt slightly embarrassed at needing so much help after her rant. With Suzy at school, she had the room to herself so when Tom deposited her onto the bed, leaving to fetch Martha for her she was left to her lonesome - something she hadn't been blessed with in a long time. Another tremor of pain racked through her body and Rhonwen almost screamed out in frustration. Of course even in another world, her immune system sucked ass. Martha didnt take very long but the fact that Tom was close at her heels was a bit astonishing.

"Heard you had another 'bout, love," Martha chimed as she bustled her way in. She reached raggedy apron that sat upon her chest and hips, pulling out the thermometer and sticking it under the bed ridden girl's tongue. She hummed whilst waiting for the beep a confused gaze to Tom who was watching me so intently from the doorway. It wasn't the usual bored glance he carried. This time he looked almost as confused as me.

 _Beep, Beep._ Martha took the device out of my mouth, dismissively shrugging with a shake of her head.

"No fever, love. You ought to stay in bed just in case," She pulled the covers up over me and I nodded. Martha turned to Tom.

"No riling her up, you hear? Get me if she has any problems," She told him and then Rhonwen oh-ed. Of _course_ Tom had to come with her. He stayed home to 'help take care of her'. If they found him anywhere else it would just bring him more trouble. Rhonwen sucked at her teeth as she watched the matron turn the corner, disappointment slightly filling her. She knew Tom had most likely lost all respect for her. The fact that he was staying behind to tell her this made her stomach even queasier. The next thing he did, however, was turn on his heel and leave. Rhonwen tried to ignore the sting of hurt that passed through her.

...

It was a week after Rhonwen's 10th birthday when Suzy Helen had been adopted. It was unfortunate as Rhonwhen had become accustomed to the girl's sunny presence. She was refreshing to be around and Rhonwhen would even go as far as saying they were friends. Suzy was a bit naive but it was nice to be around someone so pure and innocent. All the same though Rhonwen was glad that she found a better chance in life. If not just for her, she was alos glad that there now was a second empty bed. The month of January was cold, so being able to have a second blanket was almost pure luxury. At night, her room grew so cold that sometimes she was sure she could see snow beginning to slip through the cracks. When she breathed, the room would show her icy breath swirling away through the air and Rhonwen almost lost her shit when whilst doing this after one particularly painful night, the breath of air began to form different shapes. It changed from a cat, who walked on air, to a dragon who would blow even more icy air into the room (Go figure; She could form a dragon but not hot air) until in the end it would just slowly dissipate away.

Her first reaction _should_ have been to jump in joy or something. _Really_. Now she wouldn't be seperated from Tom so this was technically a win, right? Except it didn't feel like that. Her stomach, which had dropped and felt queasy all throughout her activity, suddenly went from queasy to full on nausea and the scared expression on her face then turned to a sorrowful one as she began crying. Why she had had such a reaction, she wasn't so sure but if Rhonwen wanted to cry, she'd fucking cry. Whoever had placed her into this world really did have a sick sense of humor. Not only did she have control issues, an incessant fear of change, and mysterious cramps, but fate decided to toss her into a whole other universe whilst it was going through its own war. One that might just as well be against her very own existence. Her first life was very unclear. She couldn't remember too much without a earsplitting headache stopping her in her tracks but Rhonwen was sure that she hadn't been so cruel, so terrible, or even the slightest bit difficult that she deserved such a cruel fate. Sure, she could definitely remember stealing biscuits from her grandma's biscuit tin but the girl highly doubted that fate held such a grudge over those delicious crumbly butterey biscuits. It not as if she didnt tell her grandma that she ate them, tears and all, but were they that important that fate decided to curse her so? She cried a bit harder, picking up that stupid bunny from so many years ago and clenching on to it. How long had it been since she let herself cry? 8 years? So long yet too soon. She angrily clenched her hand around the bunny, feeling the soft fur under her palms bristle between the crevices of her fingers. It was comforting and the girl squeezed the bunny closer, nuzzling her face into it as she let the tears slow to a stop. Her eyes shifted to the ground, tired after executing all the built up frustration and stress into one night of bawling, and slowly she fell asleep.

The next morning Tom found her still sitting there, head tilted towards the ground after decidely investigating once he found her breakfast seat empty. She woke to his slight touch on her forehead, almost shrieking. A book swished past her head and Rhonwen wondered if she had scared to boy enough to force accidental magic out of him.

From his wide eyed look, she was able to gather that it certainly wasn't.


End file.
